Global Automotive Purchasing & Supply Chain Network
The Mike Ilitch School of Business and the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) are collaborators on a Global Automotive Purchasing and Supply Chain Network (GAPSCN) education initiative to fast-track talent into automotive industry careers. AIAG is an organization that provides industry-developed standards, allied tools, emerging best practices, and training in quality, supply chain, and corporate responsibility.
The GAPSCN provides degree and certificate programs for students and professionals to advance their knowledge and experience in the automotive supply chain.
The program that has been running for over a decade is called the Global Automotive Purchasing & Supply Chain Network (pdf) (GAPSCN or "Gap-Scan"). The program helps provide students (community college, undergraduate, graduate) and industry professionals with continuing education utilizing practice-oriented lecture material, automotive case studies, best practices, knowledge assessments and standards.
It is aimed to accelerate the development of our next generation of global purchasing and supply chain professionals. GAPSCN provides them with a skill set and lexicon honed to manage the industry's increasingly complex business challenges. Given the strategic transformation of the automotive supply chain over the past few decades, and the rate of innovation in vehicle design, advanced manufacturing, and engineered materials, it became necessary to create a strong collaboration between industry and academia. We are fast-tracking future purchasing and supply chain leaders into industry assignments, saving time and expense often required to retrain entry-level professionals, and positively impacting employee retention rates.
AIAG provides the program with guidelines, training and educational opportunities in areas such as global materials management, customs and supply chain security, export compliance, packaging, quality management, finished vehicle logistics, corporate responsibility, and environmental compliance. WSU gives participants access to undergraduate and graduate courses and programs, executive education, thought leadership, basic and applied research, and internships as well as international studies programs. Degree programs are available, including undergraduate majors and MBA concentrations in supply chain management.
WSU and AIAG are also offering two supply chain management non-degree courses: (1) an annual certificate program providing an in-depth understanding of global supply chain topics and issues and (2) a one-week, automotive-focused Global Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Seminar that prepares purchasing and supply chain executives, senior managers and other professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to significantly improve company purchasing and supply chain management contributions to the cost and overall performance.
WSU is committed to an automotive-oriented supply chain curriculum. The fact that Southeast Michigan has one of the biggest concentrations of supply chain professionals in the world especially in automotive provides unparalleled interaction between university academics and auto industry professionals. GAPSCN enhances undergraduate learning, allows for applied academic research on automotive supply chain topics, and provides outstanding executive education programs in supply chain.
For more information, contact us or AIAG Customer Service.